Biblical ethics is a subject that has been almost totally neglected in this century. Only six men have written a major work on Old Testament ethics in the last hundred years- and only two of these works- both written before 1900- are in English. This lack of materials on Old Testament ethics serves to underscore the significance of Walter Kaiser's Toward Old Testament Ethics. Dr. Kaiser has no illusions about providing a simple solution to questions of Old Testament ethics. He is familiar with the complexities of this subject and begins his work in Part I by addressing such questions as: How can ethics be defined? Is there an overarching structure to ethics as presented in the Old Testament- or is there only an unrelated series of laws? Do ethics of the Old Testament have any relevance for us today? What are the exegetical principles to be used in a study of Old Testament ethics? Part II examines the moral texts of the Old Testament- in particular the Decalogue- the book of the covenant (Exodus 20:22--23:33)- and the law of holiness (Leviticus 18--20). Dr. Kaiser unfolds the intention of these various laws- showing how they relate to each other and form a framework for ethics. Part III explores the content of Old Testament ethics- namely- how holiness relates to worship- work- relationship- social justice- the sanctity of life- marriage and sex- wealth- use of the truth- and motives for action. Moral difficulties in the Old Testament present stumbling blocks to many who read these books. How are we to relate to a God who- at times- seems fickle- deceptive- and hateful? How are we to champion the offensive view of women and slaves- the particulars of God choosing Israel- and the imprecations that appear from time to time in the biblical texts? Reponses to these and other difficulties from Part IV. The book concludes with a discussion of Old Testament law and New Testament believers. Dr. Kaiser shows how these laws- written thousands of years ago- still challenge God's people to live holy lives.

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